This invention relates to a pallet saver device for industrial trucks having spaced apart lift forks, and is more particularly directed to a cushioned impact device which may be secured to the lift truck carriage between its spread forks for contacting the center strut of a conventional pallet before contact between the pallet and the fillets of the lift forks.
Conventional fork lift trucks have a pair of vertically spaced apart L-shaped lift forks, one leg of each fork being connected to a lift carriage for vertical movement of the forks in unison; and the other leg of each fork extends outwardly from the truck in a horizontal direction to support a load, each horizontal and vertical leg being connected by a fillet. Often the load is carried by a pallet which is comprised of a center strut and two spaced apart parallel end struts, tied together top and bottom by stringers, the edges of the pallet between the struts and stringers being open to define pockets for engagement of the forks therein on each side of the center strut. Usually such pallets are fabricated from wood.
During entry of the forks into the pockets between the struts and stringers, the forks often hit the pallet with great force and impact, and repeated impact causes premature failure of the pallet, particularly at the point of contact between the fork fillets and the upper stringer of the pallet.
A prior art impact device is disclosed in Rudolph G. Larson U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,701, and provides means for cushioning force between the forks and a pallet; however, such a device moves the load outwardly on the forks, thus resulting in lost load center to reduce the capacity of the truck. Such a device contacts the end struts of the pallet, as well as the edge of the stringer boards, which are less resistant to breakage than the center strut and the center of the stringer. Also, where the impact device is intended to contact the end struts, adjustment of the forks toward one another brings the impact device out of alignment with the pallet, or if a narrow pallet is used the impact device may miss the pallet altogether. Additionally, lift truck operators frequently contact the pallet out of line and under such conditions devices adapted to contact the pallet ends are often ineffective because one side of the pallet may miss the impact device or there is greater impact on one side of the pallet than the other side.
A pallet saver device constructed according to the present invention is intended for impact with the center strut and the central areas of the stringers of the pallet, at their strongest point, where the impact may be absorbed by the entire pallet. The face of the device is preferably shock absorbing and projects forward of the front vertical surface of the forks, to prevent a crowbar or wedging effect of the fork fillets on the first stringers of the pallet, without substantial lost load center. The pallet saver device may be easily attached to the lift truck carriage and may be easily removed to permit removal or adjustment of the forks, all without modifications to the truck. The device embodying the invention may be fabricated with a changeable spacer plate, which permits it to be utilized with forks of varying thickness for all capacity trucks covered by standard industry fork mountings, and the device has novel keyed means for mounting it on the carriage.